Fight for Freedom
by TwiliRupee
Summary: Iku Kasahara has a lot to deal with: leading her own team in the Task Force, dealing with her sometimes infuriating boyfriend, team members and roommate, and protecting the books she so dearly loved. A series of one-shots of the daily life at the Kanto Library Base. Will stand as completed as each one-shot can stand by themselves. Post Anime/Manga, with some during it.
1. Fight for Freedom

_Author's note: This is my first Library Wars (or Toshokan Sensou) fic. It's a mix of both the anime and the manga, since I have read/watched both. The military ranks of the characters are based on the ones they have in the manga, and the story takes place about three years after the anime ends. Please enjoy and tell me what you think!_

* * *

><p><strong>Fight for Freedom<strong>

The woman in green fatigues and black military boots stood at the edge of a sandy field, where a squadron of soldiers ran, guns at high port. They were all the newest recruits of the Library Task Force, all of them men, except for one. Looking on, the woman thought deeply, rolling up her sleeves in an attempt to cool herself despite the hot afternoon summer sun. _I, Iku Kasahara, have been handpicked for the Library Task force, an elite defense unit that protects books from the fiends of the Media Betterment Committee and their ideas of censorship. Though I was chosen a while ago, I was, for the longest time, the only woman in the Task Force. But not any more..._

"I bet you wish you were running out there with them, eh, Kasahara?"

Sergeant Iku Kasahara turned to the man standing next to her. Captain Mikihisa Komaki, one of her superiors since she first joined the Task Force, looked at her with his ever-present smile on his face. "In this weather, sir? Not at all!" Kasahara fanned her face with her hand as she replied to her superior.

Komaki laughed and received a growl of reprimand from the dark-haired major standing next to him. "How can you even talk in such weather?" the major asked.

"Come now, Dojo, lighten up!" Komaki teased.

Major Atsushi Dojo huffed a sigh and called out a command to one of the recruits, receiving a prompt response in reply.

Kasahara fanned her face with both hands. "I cannot wait to get out of this sun and get an ice cold drink."

"Me, neither," the sergeant to her left added. Hikaru Tezuka, who had been on Kasahara's team when she first joined the Task Force, was stern and seemingly perfect, yet Kasahara had been able to pick out the tiny flaws over the three years they had been on the Task Force together. Together, they were now in charge of their own team of Task Force members.

"Hey, Suzuki's slowing down," Komaki said, his eyes on the running soldiers. "She looks like she's about to collapse."

Kasahara turned her gaze to the second female Task Force member. "They all do," Tezuka commented.

"Should we call them in, sir?" Kasahara asked Dojo.

The stern major nodded. "All right! That's enough! Come on over!" At those words the recruits slowed, but didn't stop, and made their way over, breathing hard. Kasahara caught sight of Corporal Riku Suzuki. The young woman's face was flushed with the heat and the effort of running. Dojo, noting Suzuki's face, began barking orders. "That's it for today. Tomorrow, you all start your librarian duties, as is the responsibility of the Task Force. Don't be late!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Dismissed! Put the guns away and go cool off."

The group disbanded. Only Tezuka, Kasahara, Komaki, and Dojo remained. The four started back slowly, following their subordinates into the shade. Kasahara jogged a bit to catch up to Dojo, walking side by side with the commanding officer in charge of the Task Force. "So, sir, are we still on for tonight?" she asked.

"Oh? Kasahara and Dojo are going on a date?" Komaki asked brightly and teasingly. Dojo turned to give him a glare. Komaki chuckled at his friend's expression.

"Stay out of if, Komaki," Dojo said with annoyance, but his comment only made Komaki laugh harder.

"Why is it that you never play matchmaker between Shibazaki and I, sir?" Tezuka asked.

"Because," Komaki replied, attempting to keep a straight face. "You aren't some prince charming being praised by a book-enamored princess. These two loved each other from the moment they met back in that book store eight years ago but never bothered to admit it."

Kasahara's face went red with embarrassment and Dojo fumed. "Why must you always bring that up? It's in the past!" Komaki laughed again in response. Dojo sighed, turning to Kasahara. "I'll meet you at seven. You know where."

Kasahara grinned and nodded. "Yes, sir!" She took off running toward the girls' dorm. She didn't slow until she reached the door. She made her way up to the room she shared with her roommate, Asako Shibazaki, Tezuka's girlfriend. Shibazaki was already in the room and changed out of her uniform. "I'm home," Kasahara said as she came into the room.

"Ah, Kasahara, I was just wondering when you would get back. I hope you don't mind me going out tonight."

Kasahara shrugged out of her jacket and adjusted the straps of the tank top she wore underneath. "It's not a problem. I have plans tonight as well."

Shibazaki gave a small giggle. "Oh, I forgot. You're having dinner with Dojo."

"Yes," Kasahara admitted, blushing. She glanced at the clock. It was ten past five. She had a little less than two hours before she would meet Dojo at their pre-decided spot by the library. As she gathered a change of clothes she glanced at Shibazaki, who was perched on the edge of her bed, deep in a book. Beside her, clothes were laid out for the night. "What _are_ you doing tonight?"

Shibazaki looked up. "Oh. Tezuka just called and asked me to go out with him tonight."

"Spur of the moment?"

"Yup!"

For a moment, Kasahara thought that Tezuka only called the date to spy on her and Dojo, but she pushed it away. Tezuka wasn't the nosy type. Besides, he didn't even know where they were going. Satisfied with that thought, Kasahara finished gathering her clothes and a towel and went to bathe.

* * *

><p>Riku Suzuki, the second woman in the Library Task Force, left the women's dorm with her roommate, Ami Nakayama, on the way to dinner. She had known Nakayama, a corporal in the Defense Force, all through university, where they met when they discovered their passions about books were the same if not similar.<p>

They decided, since the evening was turning out to be rather nice, to get their meal and enjoy it out on the lawn next to the library.

"Hey," Nakayama said after a moment of quiet, "isn't that Sergeant Kasahara?"

Suzuki followed her friend's gaze. "Yeah. I wonder what she's doing?"

The two young women watched the well-dressed sergeant walk along the path along side the library. Her pace quickened as a figure stepped out of the shadows of the library.

"It's Major Dojo!" Suzuki said excitedly but in a hushed tone. The two friends watched as the sergeant reached the major, and exchanged a few words before the two of them went off around the far corner of the library.

"I heard rumors that they were together," Suzuki said as Nakayama giggled, "but I didn't think they were true. It's always been hushed up, from what I've heard."

"I guess this proves it!" Nakayama exclaimed. The two of them burst into giggles.

* * *

><p>"You're awfully quiet tonight."<p>

Kasahara looked up from stirring her drink with the straw. Dojo sat across from her, watching her. "I'm just tired. Long day, you know?"

Dojo nodded and took a sip of his own drink, annoyed with himself. He hated awkward pauses. _Come on, idiot! _he scolded himself. _Think of something to say to her!_

"We should go to that tea shop again," Kasahara said. "It was a great place."

"We can do whatever makes you happy, Iku," Dojo replied, enjoying the smile he received from Kasahara when he used her first name – something he rarely did. "Actually, I found it a rather enjoyable experience. We haven't been there in a long while, have we?"

"Three years ago," Kasahara stated promptly. "You just got out of the hospital after that Ibaraki incident."

"Yeah." Dojo grimaced inwardly, remembering the event. He had been caught in the fiery remains of the boxes of precious documents and books in the storage of the Ibaraki Library. The fire had been caused by the crazed head librarian who both Kasahara and Dojo had tried to stop before she caused too much damage.

"So, is that a plan?"

"Huh?" Kasahara asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Next time we go to that tea shop? Is that a good plan?"

Kasahara's expression lit up. "Oh, yes!"

Dojo grinned, then noticed his girlfriend tensing up, looking past him. He turned in his seat, following her gaze. He frowned, understanding Kasahara's sudden agitation. Tezuka and Shibazaki were walking their way, led by a waiter to the adjacent table.

"My, look who it is," Shibazaki commented as she sat down. "Are you two having fun?"

"We were before you came in," Kasahara said in a low voice. Shibazaki only laughed while Tezuka gave one of his rare smiles. Kasahara turned away from her friends and stared out the window, ignoring her roommate's laugh, however she did catch Dojo giving a half smile.

Tezuka spoke up. "When Kasahara mentioned the date, I figured that it had been a while since Shibazaki and I went on one."

"So you do have feelings, Tezuka! How sweet!" Kasahara teased. Her fellow sergeant gave her a sour look in return, but Kasahara's smile remained undaunted.

The evening wore on peacefully, and all too soon Kasahara found herself back on the Kantou Library Base, walking side by side with Dojo. They were a few paces behind Shibazaki and Tezuka, who were walking hand in hand and talking in low voices.

Dojo looked at Kasahara. "We'll have to pick a date to go to that tea shop."

"Yes," Kasahara replied. Then a smile lit her face. "Though not when Captain Komaki is around."

Dojo laughed. "Next day off, then?"

Kasahara nodded. They slowed their pace until they stopped, letting Shibazaki and Tezuka go ahead. Dojo took Kasahara's hands.

"Tonight wasn't what I had planned it to be," the major said in a low voice. "But I hope you had fun nonetheless."

"I did, Atsushi."

"I'm glad, Iku."

They moved closer, aiming to end the night perfectly with a kiss. It would have been so if Shibazaki hadn't broken the moment.

"Kasahara, let's go!"

Kasahara cringed and immediately let got of Dojo's hands, taking a step back. Dojo looked annoyed for a moment, but hid it. He placed a hand on her head in his usual way of expressing his feelings. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"Yes, sir."

Dojo watched Kasahara walk off with her roommate, slightly disappointed. The perfect moment to end the night had been lost, and Kasahara had switched back to her formal self.

With a sigh, Dojo turned and walked back to his room.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Suzuki entered the Task Force's office in the midst of an argument. She stopped in the doorway, watching with wide eyes the sight of Dojo and Kasahara shouting at each other. She quickly glanced around. Only the new Task Force members looked uncomfortable about this. The others were watching with amusement, or were – like Tezuka – ignoring the couple and sipping their coffee.<p>

"I thought you learned to be more responsible!" Dojo shouted.

Komaki walked up to Suzuki. "Don't worry about it," the captain said quietly her. "It's completely normal."

"For them to argue like that, sir?"

"Yes."

"Oh." She watched Kasahara fume silently while Dojo continued to reprimand her, pointing to a packet of papers on his desk.

Finally, the sergeant had enough. "How do you expect me to concentrate when you ask me on a date?" she demanded, interrupting Dojo's lecture.

This comment got everyone's attention. The room went quiet and Tezuka smirked.

Dojo, aware of the attention they were getting, glared around the room. "Don't you all have work to do?"

"Yes, sir!" The room resumed its busy state.

Quietly, Dojo replied to Kasahara. "You didn't have to say you would go."

"I wanted to go," Kasahara replied.

"You shouldn't let it get to you then."

Kasahara huffed, still angry. "Like that's going to happen, _sir._"

"All right, enough, you love birds," Komaki stepped between them. "We all know you both love each other in the end."

"Komaki!" Dojo protested angrily.

"Let's just get along, yeah?" Komaki continued. "It's way to early in the morning for this. And you're scaring the newbies."

Kasahara and Dojo looked in the direction of where the newest Task Force members stood, waiting for their assignments fearfully. Kasahara gave them a quick apologetic smile before snatching the papers off Dojo's desk with a pointed looked at her superior. She marched off to her own desk and sat down, staring at the papers. Dojo watched her for a moment, his expression softening.

He turned to the new recruits to give them their assignments, but before the words were out of his mouth, a loud buzzer sounded.

"Attention! Patrol units have sighted MBC agents on premises! All defense units on duty! Patrons of the library are asked to evacuate!" The announcement rang through the building over the sound of the alarm.

"Task Force into position!" Dojo commanded.

People scrambled to obey orders. Within minutes, the Task Force was ready for action, running to defend the books they so dearly loved.

"Suzuki, stay near me!" Kasahara called out to her subordinate.

"Yes, ma'am!" the corporal replied.

Suzuki and Kasahara joined Dojo and Tezuka in a defensible location by the main entrance to the library.

"Here they come," Tezuka said, readying his gun. Suzuki looked terrified, and Kasahara gave her a warm, encouraging smile as the first gunshots sounded.

This time, the task was to prevent the Media Betterment Committee – or MBC – from entering the library and eventually turn them away empty-handed. Any entrance into the library was heavily guarded by both Task Force members and regular Defense Force units.

As the fighting wore on, Dojo thought they were pushing back the MBC and winning the battle. But a sudden frantic message over the radio system of the Library Corps made him realize that they were far from victory.

"A member of the MBC has gotten in and managed to take a bag full of rare books. He's heading toward the main entrance!"

Dojo glanced at the doors of the library and saw the man in question barge through them. Next to him, Kasahara gasped. "Cover me!" she shouted, and sprinted toward the book thief.

"Kasahara!"

But the stubborn sergeant didn't pay attention. She ran toward the MBC officer and tackled him head on. Punches and kicks were thrown until finally Kasahara wrestled the bag of books from her opponent, giving him one final kick to stop him from going after her. As she stood, Dojo breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe and she had the books.

"Kasahara, behind you!" Tezuka shouted suddenly from beside Dojo. Kasahara whirled around. Another MBC member was pointing his gun at her. She hadn't seen him coming. Dojo started running toward her, intending to get to her before the man fired.

The MBC agent cocked his gun and pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p>Suzuki sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest. Her roommate was watching the news, but none of the reporter's words sank in. She was a bit shell-shocked, having survived her first battle and enduring the sight of her team officer being shot at.<p>

She had never seen Major Dojo look so upset...or so angry. The sight of his expression as he shouted down the MBC agent who shot Kasahara scared her.

"Our next topic: the Library Defense Force and the Media Betterment Committee had another battle today," the reporter on the television was saying. Suzuki looked up at the screen. "Here's Takeshi Hoshi on site."

The screen cut to a scene outside the property of the library and the Kantou Library Base. Suzuki glared at the handsome and young reporter. "Early this morning," he began, "the Media Betterment Committee launched a raid at the Musashino Main Library, aiming to collect censored and dangerous books." Suzuki huffed at that statement. Such bias. "The Library Defense Force fought back to protect both the library and the books inside it. The fight lasted an hour before the Media Betterment Committee halted the raid."

"Halted?" Nakayama questioned. She, too, had been involved in the fighting, though to a lesser extent than Suzuki. "More like gave up!"

"Casualties were sustained on both sides, but so far no fatalities." The reporter listed the names of the casualties on both sides. Suzuki glared even harder when her sergeant's name was mentioned. "The Library Defense Force refused to comment on the battle, while a spokesman from the Media Betterment Committee-"

Nakayama turned off the television in the middle of the reporter's sentence. "Load of crap," she muttered. "They make us sound like barbarians!"

Suzuki nodded. Once again, she replayed the scene from that morning over in her head. The look of shock on Kasahara's face as the bag of books slipped from her hands. The horror on Dojo's face as he watched his girlfriend fall to her knees, then the sorrow-fueled fury breaking through when he turned to the MBC agent to shout him down. And all the time, the MBC member didn't seem to feel guilty at all.

"If anyone's a bunch of barbarians, it's the MBC," Suzuki said quietly.

* * *

><p>It was dawn when Kasahara surfaced from unconsciousness. She blearily looked around the hospital room she was in, wondering why she was here instead of the room she shared with Shibazaki. But she recalled why in an instant, and sighed. It was not fun to be shot.<p>

She slowly became aware of another person: Dojo. He was sitting in a chair by her bedside, his hand grasping hers as he slept, his head resting on the edge of the bed. Kasahara smiled at the sight, and gently slipped her hand out of his, causing him to stir. He lifted his head and smiled softly when he saw that she was awake.

"I was so worried about you," he murmured.

"You shouldn't be. It'll take more than some MBC idiot to take me down. I was trained very well, you know."

"I'm glad to hear that."

The moment of quiet that followed was shattered suddenly when Kasahara's cell phone, sitting on the nightstand, began vibrating.

"It's been ringing all night," Dojo said as Kasahara reached out a bandaged hand to pick it up. She looked at the screen.

"It's my parents," she said, opening the phone. "Hello?" She cringed as her mother's worried voice came through, almost hysterically. "Mom-" she began, but was cut off. She tried twice more before she was able to finish her sentence. "Mom, I'm fine. There's no need for you to come and visit." She sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. Major Dojo is looking after me. Yes, he's here." Kasahara went quiet, and Dojo could faintly hear Kasahara's mother speaking on the other end of the line.

"Fine. But wait until I'm back on base, okay? Thank you."

After a few words of parting, Kasahara ended the call and sighed. "Sorry," she said to Dojo.

"Don't worry about it."

"Says the one who worried all night."

"I had a good reason to!"

"Of course you did." She smirked at him then sighed. "She's coming to visit once I get out of here."

"Oh? How did she find out?"

"The media."

Dojo frowned but nodded.

After several more quiet seconds, Kasahara took Dojo's hands. "You didn't have to stay here all night for me."

"I wanted to."

"You know what, sir?"

"What?"

Kasahara leaned forward and pressed her lips against Dojo's for a brief second. "I love you, Atsushi," she said, staring into his dark eyes.

Dojo kissed her back in reply. "I love you, too, Iku."


	2. Ibaraki Incident

**Ibaraki Incident**

Things had been getting worse, what with getting locked in the laundry room and the nasty letter from those in the administrative faction of the Ibaraki Library. Nonomiya and Inoue had explained that it was always like this, except it was worse right now because of Kasahara. So of course Kasahara felt bad, and isolated herself from the other defense members of the Ibaraki Defense Force.

It all had been bad, but this! Oh, this was the worst so far! Here she had hung her laundry out to dry and she had come out to find Nonomiya and Inoue studying her fatigues, which were dripping with a dark wet substance. The two timid defense force members tried to apologize and defend themselves against a potentially furious Kasahara.

Kasahara wasn't mad, at least not at her new friends. She quietly and somberly told them to leave, and folded up her dirtied fatigues.

It wasn't until she encountered Instructor Dojo near the library later that night that she finally broke down.

"Hey, you." That familiar, comforting voice that she loved floated from the shadows. Dojo emerged into the light of a street lamp. "What are you doing at this hour?"

Kasahara turned to face him, her expression telling her whole story. Dojo's own expression softened. Kasahara quickly explained the issue with the laundry, and Dojo guided her along. They would go to a Laundromat and finish the laundry there.

As the laundry was washed, Kasahara told Dojo pretty much everything. For a while, the sergeant was quiet, watching as Kasahara folded her arms on the table in the small Laundromat and put her head on them. "I normally meet people like you," Dojo said finally. "I've kind of forgotten about the existence of those spiteful people."

"If I were in this environment, and if I were one of the majority, I would do the same as well." Kasahara lifted her head to convey this to Dojo.

"You wouldn't."

Kasahara sat up, turning to face her superior officer. "You don't know that for sure, do you?"

"I know," was his simple reply. "I've observed you up until now." He opened his mouth to say more, but stopped when he saw her hand. The knuckles were red and scraped from when Kasahara had punched the wall in frustration at the administrative faction's cruel teasing words. "How did this happen?" he asked, taking her wrist so he could look at it better.

"It hurts!" Kasahara pulled her hand away, cradling it against her chest with her undamaged hand.

Dojo's expression became one of sorrow. "I'm sorry…" he said. Kasahara remained turned away, but she could hear the emotion in his voice. He cared for her, and she knew it. Despite how close they were, she wasn't about to let him treat her differently. They were on a mission, after all. There was no time for this!

"_I'm_ sorry," she said eventually in a quiet voice. "Please, treat me as you always do…"

Dojo looked rather stunned for a moment. Then he covered it up and put a comforting hand on her head. After another moment, he moved his hand so that his arm was wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her close so her head was resting against his chest.

Kasahara gasped slightly in surprise, but accepted the embrace with a teary smile. This was what she needed all along: a simple hug. "Kasahara, you must know I'm on your side," Dojo murmured gently. "I can't help you fix this, but I can give you encouragement." He kissed her gently on the top of her head.

She stiffened at the unexpected kiss. "But…but, sir!"

"Listen, Kasahara, you can solve this problem. I know you can. And don't you worry. Everything will be fine." He kissed her head again.

Kasahara realized he was right and relaxed once more, enjoying his warmth, the steady beat of his heart, the way his chest rose and fell slightly as he breathed. She sniffled and closed her eyes, relishing in this moment of comfort before the storm that they both knew would come soon.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: So I wrote this almost a year ago. I had a dream of a mysterious yet wonderful man telling me everything would be okay, which kinda fit at the time, as I was going through a rough patch in my life. Things are still rough, but not as much. I wanted to remember the dream, and so Iku took my place, and Dojo took the mysterious man's place.<em>

_In case you all didn't get the memo, this is going to be a dump of drabbles for Library War. It's not going to be frequent, but I'll post what I have anyway._

_Thanks so much for all the reviews for the previous chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the other one!_


	3. Surprises

**Surprises**

The Library Task Force knew there had been a change. Something had happened. They all knew it, especially when Dojo came into work _whistling_ a happy tune.

And Dojo never whistled.

"What's got you all happy?" Komaki asked.

As if realizing he was out of character, Dojo stopped whistling, sending a frown in his friend's direction. "It's a beautiful day out. I'm allowed to be happy."

Komaki glanced out the window, noted the overcast sky, and laughed. "Try again, Dojo."

His friend scowled and sat down at his desk. "You won't get any answer out of me." He glanced at the clock and began working, muttering something about "that blockhead" and "always late."

Twenty minutes later, "that blockhead" appeared, hurrying into the office as if there was a monster chasing her. She stood at attention next to Dojo, saluting. "I'm sorry I'm late, sir! I overslept! Shibazaki kept me up late into the night."

Dojo sighed. "Fine. Try not to let it happen again."

"Yes, sir!" Kasahara moved over to her own desk, a small smile on her face. The others in the office who were paying attention looked at Dojo like he had grown an extra head. Usually Kasahara's tardiness was met with blazing lecture about being punctual. "Morning, Tezuka," she greeted. Her surly coworker across from her looked up from his computer.

"You're a ray of sunshine," he stated blandly. "Have you had one too many cups of coffee?"

"No. It's just a good day!" She sighed happily.

"Even though you were late?" Komaki asked as he walked by them to get to the coffee maker.

"Well, other than that!"

"Don't you all have work to do?!" Dojo demanded. Kasahara ducked her head and focused. It was quiet in the office for an hour or so, until Tezuka leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head.

Across from him, Kasahara ran a hand through her hair, something on her finger catching the light. As she lowered her hand, Tezuka caught a full view of what it was.

A ring, simple but still a ring. He knew Kasahara never wore jewelry – she was way too much of a tomboy to even consider a simple necklace. But here she was, wearing a shining new ring. It meant only one thing.

"No…way."

Kasahara looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

"It makes so much sense now!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Kasahara protested, discretely tucking her bejeweled hand in her lap.

"What is going on over there?" Dojo asked.

Tezuka sobered slightly. "Nothing, sir." He made it look like he was returning to his work, but after a moment glanced at Kasahara. "Congratulations," he said in a soft voice. "Did he ask you last night?"

Kasahara nodded, her face getting red. "Thanks. How'd you know about last night?"

"Shibazaki."

"Ah. Nothing escapes her notice. She grilled me for most of the night, which is why I was late."

"Sharing secrets?"

Kasahara jumped in her seat, knocking over her empty coffee mug. She scrambled to pick it up before it tumbled from the desk. As she moved the mug out of the danger zone, she turned to see Komaki behind her. "Sir! Don't startle me like that!"

"My apologies. Oh?" He gently took hold of her wrist, displaying the ring. "My, my, look at this."

Kasahara pulled her arm back. "Sir, please don't."

"What?" He grinned. "Our little Kasahara is engaged! Dojo, you actually asked her!"

The other Task Force members erupted into shouts of congratulations, while the couple tried to hide themselves by sinking lower in their chairs, faces bright red. It didn't stop until the end of the day. As if they had planned it before hand, both Dojo and Kasahara stayed behind, claiming that they needed to finish their work. When the last man left, Kasahara sighed, slumping in her seat. Dojo, at his desk, heaved a similar sigh before standing and moving over to where his fiancée sat. "That was a long day," he said, pulling out the chair next to her and sitting. "Forgive me if I've caused you embarrassment with the ring, Iku."

Kasahara sat up straight. "Oh, no, not at all. Instructor Komaki caused most of it."

"Yes. He did." He sighed. "Can I walk you home?"

Kasahara smiled. "Of course. Let me just clean up here."

Dojo nodded and stood, going back to his own desk. They quickly and quietly closed up for the day and started out of the room.

Dojo bestowed a kiss to his fiancée, causing her to stutter and blush. They walked back to the dormitory hand in hand.


	4. Scars

**Scars**

It was hours past dinner when Iku returned to the dorm. She heaved a tired sigh as she opened the door to her room. "I'm home," she said softly.

Her husband looked up from his special signed copy of _Nuclear Peril_, which he was reading yet again. "Long day?" he asked, watching her pull her shoes off. She sighed in reply and moved over to the bed, on which he was sitting.

"It was a very long day," she muttered, falling face first on her side of the bed.

"You're going to wrinkle your uniform, you blockhead."

"It'll live."

Atsushi marked his book and closed it, leaning over to ruffle Iku's hair. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "So what happened today?" he asked.

"The newbies were being ridiculous," she began, getting up so she could change out of her uniform and into something more comfortable.

"Now you feel my pain….Hours wasted keeping you and Tezuka from biting each other's heads off, and even more hours wasted dealing with you and your incompetence."

Iku threw her shirt at him, covering his face as she slipped on a t-shirt. "Not funny."

Atsushi pulled the shirt from his head, tossing it back to her. "Anyway, what did they do?"

"They were wishing they had joined up earlier, only so they could shoot guns." She gave a huff. "Idiots. They have no idea what it was like." She grumbled under her breath as she threw her uniform into the hamper by her closet. "Then I was going to see if I could join you for dinner, but Tezuka caught me-"

"Which one?"

"Hikaru. He needed to discuss something involving another newbie, and I had to catch up on some paperwork that took me longer to complete, not to mention Asako distracted me from it, and somehow I managed to eat dinner and…" She flopped back on the bed, heaving another sigh.

"You are so dramatic someti-_ack_!"

Iku, who had hit him with her pillow, grinned innocently. "You were saying?"

"Is that how you want to play?"

"Bring it, sir."

The two wrestled for a few minutes, hitting each other with pillows and causing chaos in their small yet cozy dwelling. It only stopped when Atsushi pinned Iku down on the mattress and relieved her of her pillow. He had always been the better fighter, even when she was a stubborn recruit. "Truce?"

Iku pouted. "Fine…" Atsushi let her up and they quickly cleaned up the mess they made before cuddling back together in bed. Atsushi returned to his book and Iku was content to lie there, sleepily enjoying the warmth and love of her prince.

She frowned slightly, running a hand over his arm. Pale scars ran over the entire extent, and many she didn't recognize. A rather nasty-looking one was the only one she knew. It was from a gunshot wound he got in Ibaraki years ago.

"What is it?" Atsushi asked.

"You have so many scars…" she murmured, tracing her finger along a long, thin one.

"We're in a dangerous business, though not all of them are from battles or training." At his wife's confused expression, he elaborated. "I was a bit of a klutz as a teenager. My friends all joked I would trip and get myself killed or some nonsense."

"Heh, I would have never pegged you as a klutz."

"Not as bad as you when you're nervous."

Iku scowled playfully, causing Atsushi to laugh. Instead of gracing him with a snarky reply, she yawned. She ran her hand over his arm again, this time sleepily musing on the muscles he was unconsciously showing off. She gave a slight smirk. That was the benefits of being married to a man on the Task Force – training gave him serious muscles that she was privy to.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, blockhead. I know what you're thinking."

"N-no, you're wrong!"

He looked at her out if the corner of his eye, and she gave a sheepish grin. He rolled his eyes and returned, once more, to his book. Several years of marriage to him made Iku realize that he was amused at her reaction. So she reached across him to pull him closer – or to pull herself closer – and kissed his cheek. He set his book down again, wrapping an arm around her and returning the kiss, this time placing it on her lips.

"Goodnight, love," she said softly.

"Goodnight."

Iku settled down once more, her eyes closing. She felt him trace her cheek with the back of his fingers and smiled.

After a few more minutes, Atsushi marked his place in his book once more, setting it off to the side. He shut off the small light he had been reading by and turned so that he could wrap Iku in his embrace. "I love you, my princess," he said softly, knowing that Iku was asleep. He'd never call her that otherwise.

* * *

><p><em>Author's note: Hi, guys! I'm back! And it's only been a couple months this time! I recently reread all the manga and rewatched the majority of the anime and the movie, plus an awesome reviewer gave me some ideas, so you may get another update soon! Anyway, in case you couldn't tell, this takes place the evening after the epilogue of the movie, and is inspired by one of the chapters covers, in which is depicted a very handsome Dojo. The details made it look like he's got scars all over his arms. I don't remember the chapter number, but it was one of the earlier ones, if you're curious.<em>

_Hope you enjoyed!_

_EDIT: Found it! The cover is from chapter nine, found in volume two of the Library Wars: Love and War manga._


	5. Claustrophobia

**Claustrophobia**

"Instructor!"

"I know. The helo's under attack."

His voice was incredibly calm, considering the situation they were in and compared to the near-hysterical note in her voice.

It was all dark in their small, cramped box and the even smaller, cramped car they were in; a simple ten-minute travel had turned dangerous. They could hear the distant repetitive gunfire, and the much-closer pinging of the bullets off of the metal of their box and the helicopter carrying them.

She looked up at him in the darkness lit only by the running lights of the car, grasping his arm as if it were a lifeline.

"What if it crashes on us?" she asked.

His face adopted a determined expression, one she used to take for anger (that expression was very similar, in her defense). "Don't worry! No matter how dangerous it gets, out pilots will protect us!"

Taking comfort, she turned to the cowering figure in the backseat of the car. "Mr. Touma, you're safe with us!" She continued to spout encouragement, as if it was more for herself than Touma.

The box shook violently, and she gasped in fright, leaning closer to her instructor for protection. He took her hand in one of his own, the other coming to wrap around her shoulders, pulling her closer as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. Her eyes opened wide in surprise, but it was quickly wiped away as the box shuddered again.

There was a clanking noise of chain on metal, then the whole box crashed to the ground…

"N-no!"

She flailed and fell from the bed, still in the memory. Her eyes flew open, but all she saw was darkness.

No.

The helicopter had crashed. She was—

"Iku?"

Why was Atsushi so calm? They were going to die!

She shuddered, the sound of guns still ringing in her ears. Facedown, she pulled her knees up to her chest, pressed her forehead to the floor and covered her ears. A sob escaped her lips. It was so dark. Why was it so dark? It pressed in on all sides, threatening to suffocate her.

"…Iku?"

With a soft click, light flooded the room, but it only startled her and, like a flash of lightning, she saw him on the ground, clutching at a badly bleeding wound in his leg, courtesy of a gun held by a red-clad officer. Atsushi was screaming at her to run, to save herself and Touma, to leave him to die.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Atsushi sounded part-amused, part-worried, and part-exasperated. "It's the middle of the night. We have to get up early for duty tomorrow."

She couldn't respond. She felt choked.

She was choking on the blood, on the darkness, on the sound of guns.

A pair of warm hands rested on her shoulders and she lifted her head a fraction. "What's wrong?" her husband asked, all the amusement and sleepiness gone from his voice. There was only concern now.

"A-Atsushi…" she gasped finally.

He forced her to sit up, but only to wrap his arms around her, pressing her face to his shoulder. "Hush."

She sobbed in response, her whole body shaking with the effort.

"We're safe," Atsushi continued softly. "We're safe. Don't cry, we're safe." He continued to murmur these words into her ear until she relaxed and realized that he was right. They _were_ safe. There was so helicopter, no MBC agents trying to take it down to capture the cowering author. The room was lit with a soft warm light. Still, she shuddered badly, as if she had frozen on the inside. She had felt this way only once before, and that was after taking her first life in defense of herself, her fellow LDF members, and the artwork known as _Freedom_.

"I-I had a dream…" she said, pulling herself from another unpleasant memory.

"So I figured."

"It was about that time when we were p-protecting Mr. Touma…when the helo nearly g-got shot down…"

"Ah." He sighed, his breath warm on her skin. Still, she shuddered. He carefully picked her up, and set her on the bed, wrapping her in a thick blanket. "Tea?" he asked, shaking his shirt sleeve down below his hand and using it to rub her tears away.

Iku shivered, not at his touch, but at her dream. She nodded mutely and he stood straight, moving over to the small kitchenette in their room. Soon, the sounds of heating water filled the air. A few minutes later, Atsushi returned to the bed, a mug of her favorite blend of tea in his hand. He sat down next to her and wrapped her hand around the mug, careful to keep his own next to hers, in case her shaking caused her to spill the hot drink.

Then her bad night would only turn worse.

"Take a sip," he ordered. She nodded and lifted the drink to her lips. Atsushi settled next to her, one arm protectively around her waist.

It wasn't until Iku had finished her tea that she stopped shivering, her hand ceased their shaking, and her face, once wet with tears, dried.

"It's ironic," Atsushi said, finally breaking the silence. "I was just thinking about that the other day." He shuddered. "Anyone in a situation like the one we were in would be scarred for life."

"You don't show it."

"Not outwardly. I don't think I'll ever be able to go into a dark and cramped space again. Like those storerooms near the stacks?"

"You did seem a little spooked the other day when you went to get that book."

"It's hard to hide." He plucked her empty mug from her hands, setting it down on his nightstand next to a book with a white cover. The blue-colored text clearly read _The Bluebird Knights_, and it was Touma's most famous book, written during and after his desperate escape from Japan almost three years ago.

Atsushi reached for the light to turn it off, but Iku stiffened in his arms. "Don't," she began, reaching out to stop him. He paused.

"We can't sleep with the light on."

Her gaze hardened slightly with determination. "Yes, we can." She sniffled. "Please?"

Atsushi sighed. He got up once more from the bed and went to turn on the light in the kitchenette, before returning to bed and turning off the other lamp. "How's that?" he asked, stretching out under the blankets and pulling Iku down next to him. In the semi-darkness, she saw him smile.

"I think that's good."

Atsushi kissed her. "Then let's try to sleep."

Iku nodded and buried her face in his shoulder, taking comfort from his warmth.

* * *

><p><em>Author's note: Once again, while watching the amazingness that is <strong>Library Wars: Wings of<strong>_** _Revolution,_**_I'm hit with inspiration. It occurred to me that such an event as being confined in a dark box that was dangling dangerously above the ground and being fired on at the same time would leave some trauma behind. Iku, being who she is, would show it more than Atsushi (I will never get used to calling him that; he will always be Dojo to me), but she would be able to pick out his expressions by this point to know he carries the same brand of claustrophobia that she does, (they've been married for a year or so at this point, and it's before the epilogue of the movie)._

_All in all, a little hurt and comfort, with some classic fluff from our favorite couple. Hope you enjoyed!_

_(PS: I still get thouroughly confused by this scene. Did the full thing actually happen? How did they manage to escape the MBC, because it clearly looked like they were surrounded. Any theories?)_


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